Faith
By Claire Edwards DSNU
February 2026
This year has seemed to begin with the same level of uncertainty and negativity that was apparent in 2025. Many are feeling exhausted by the emotional trials and tribulations that are already prevalent in their daily lives, seemingly without rest or an end in sight.
It is in these moments that those along their pathway, whether with an awareness of the spiritual aspect of life or not, can start to feel that nothing will ever be “good” again and that the happiness and security they were hoping for is slipping ever further from their grasp.
It is in these moments, for I as everyone else, have my own discomforts, worries and fears to work through and hopefully overcome, that faith begins to become the main stay of our lives.
Not a glib or childish notion of ignoring something and hoping it will go away, more a deeper understanding that we have been through tough times before and that so too shall this moment pass.
When people talk of God it means a variety of things due to multiple aspects and experiences to that person as an individual, as well as culturally. This perception and belief can be determined by our families, our lives and our own spiritual understanding. When I speak of God, I do not mean a man with a white beard sitting on a fluffy white cloud looking down upon his kingdom.
From my understanding God is an intelligence, a power and wisdom that caused us and all those things that we share our world with to be with love and light as the fabric of our being, that is our Spirit.
And as we are a facet of this Great Spirit, or God, we too have the ability to communicate with that intelligence, power and wisdom to assist us as we undergo the physical experiences of the moment.
So, when times are incredibly tricky and hurtful, when I feel no way to resolve or move forward to find a solution, when fear and anxiety are the emotions that seem to have risen and taken hold within my consciousness bringing discomfort and hopelessness to the fore. It is then that I turn to God, or the Divine Spirit, remembering the phrase “Let go, Let God.”
That is to say, I try to hold fast to my faith and belief that there is a higher purpose, a higher reason and a higher plan which will mean that ultimately all will be well in time.
I don’t believe this is naivety nor a way to absolve myself of my responsibilities or my actions, more a deeper understanding entering into my awareness that though I cannot control many things in my life, I can reflect on my past and see that hard times have been faced before and that whilst there will always be regrets and things that I wish were different, ultimately, I have always been able to find a way forward and have, to a greater or lesser degree, succeeded in moving on.
At times this has meant beginning again, but the difference is that due to our experiences there has been a refinement of consciousness and spiritual awareness meaning that hopefully the lessons of a tribulation have been overcome and the way to move forward is now to continue and to apply this newly gained understanding with the next part of life.
We undergo many different experiences individual to us and influenced by the actions and behaviours of others, some of which we never wanted or believed to be a possibility, but we have overcome disappointment, pain and hurt, to then allow ourselves to believe that there will be further changes that bring the things we need and want into our lives.
We have faith. Not blind faith, not childish faith but faith that comes from reviewing the past truthfully and seeing that though at times all has felt lost and irreparable there has somehow been another shift and the gentle feeling of a new dawn rising ahead of us to bring the warmth and light back once more.
The Sun rises and sets before us each day, and the promise each new day brings to us is one of possibilities and hope. We can only do so much with the time we are given. We are only responsible for our actions.
If at the end of the day, you can lie down and rest your head on your pillow, take a deep breath and mentally acknowledge that you did your best, you are enough and that things will change, then you can afford yourself the space and time to sleep.
Times of high stress affects us all, but when we learn to give permission to ourselves to make mistakes it means we are also honouring that Spirit that we are currently undergoing the lessons of life. Imperfect but powerful. Flawed but beautiful. Despairing but hopeful.
There are times we cannot presume to know the whys or wherefores, but the one ultimate thing we can be assured of, and we can place all of our hope and faith into, is that sometimes if we just “Let go and Let God” the changes we need and want to happen will do so in the fullness of time. We just have to hold on a little longer but maybe this time with more of a smile and lightness as we allow faith to carry us forward once more.
Claire Edwards
22nd February 2026
thepromiseofthejoytocome@outlook.com